Category: Bot Banking

Global Financial Services

The global financial services sector is on the cusps of significant disruption, with fantasy technologies like AI and blockchain fast changing the way banks operate and deliver services to clients. More so, the emergence of financial technology (fintech) and regulatory technology (regtech) firms who continue to muscle into financial services has created a digital race of some sort in the industry.

Along with robo-investors, digital banks have been launched to help individuals transact as fast as can be imagined, and they are making a difference. The disruptive momentum of fintech vendors is helped by a growing population of tech-savvy consumers who expect personalized services.

The customer-focused nature of these new breeds of tech startups has made traditional financial institutions realize that they are at risk of falling behind in the innovation race unless they acquire transformative technologies that will enable them to keep up with advancements in an ever-evolving business environment.

Reshaping the Customer Experience by Leveraging New Digital Tools

To deliver real-time, personalized banking experience to clients, businesses need to address significant customer pain points as well as identify new ways to satisfy them in differentiated ways. Today, we live in a generation where people are never far away from a smartphone.

To put this in perspective, 87% of millennials never separate from their mobile devices, according to a report. Another report says customers use mobile banking apps 7,610 times a minute. Also, 70 percent of consumers who own a smartphone prefect transacting from their phones. These make mobile one of the most clear-cut ways to differentiate.

To meet client needs in this digital age, banks must do their due diligence to appropriately integrate digital tools such as live chat, self-service, mobile, and Omni channel support and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence into their processes.

Ways to Optimize the Customer Journey Experience

Information gathering is key to improving the customer journey. To deliver banking services in real time, banks first have to have enough data to make informed decisions. This requires gathering deep customer insights so that institutions can get a better sense of their needs, which can be achieved by investing in systems that recognize every customer irrespective of the platform used.

That said, here are the ways banks can improve banking experiences for consumers:

Improve the account opening process and make the onboarding experience efficient

An exceptional account opening experience can help banks earn customer loyalty and remain competitive. To this end, institutions are advised to make the account opening process faster and provide robust mobile account opening services to make it easier for today’s connected customers to open accounts on a mobile phone. The more straightforward the process, the better the customer experience.

Consider a user-friendly authentication solution

A complex authentication system can get customers frustrated. Institutions are advised to consider authentication solutions such as those based on one-time passwords, as they offer robust security and are user-friendly.

In addition, less intrusive technologies like Facial Recognition, Touch ID, and Iris Scanning are other effective solutions institutions might want to consider.

Embrace the disruptive potential of AI-powered chatbots

Chatbots are some of the fascinating stories in fintech. It wasn’t so long ago that they were nothing more than automated answering agents. Today, they help address customer complaints, thanks to their ability to engage consumers with their intelligence.

Implementing this innovation will help financial institutions lower cost while improving the customer experience by providing personalized, always-on service. This is the future of Banking.

Bitcoin surged to a freshall-time high on Thursday hitting $5,231, eclipsing the previous record of $5,014 hit in early September. The cryptocurrency is now up more than 420% for the year. So far, investors and customers have shrugged off negative commentary about cryptocurrencies, despite being unable to break into the U.S. markets.

In September, Chinese authorities banned exchanges that deal in crypto currencies. They also banned initial coin offers which are the way most digital currencies raise capital. This has further perpetuated the rally, since there is a limited supply on the amount of a crypto currency that can be mined. With supply contained by regulators and demand increasing, the price of bitcoin is getting forced higher.

There have been reports floating during the past week that China might allow cryptocurrency exchange as well as ICOs. Sources cite Chinese regulators saying that bitcoin trading will likely resume with more regulation. This could include new licensing and anti-money laundering regulations.

SEC Does Not Give Its Blessing to Bitcoin

To date, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which is the main U.S. securities regulator, has not given its blessing to crypto currencies. Without consent from the SEC mainstream trading is not possible. Their unwillingness to consider bitcoin has frustrated exchange applicants who are now withdrawing their applications. This will likely be a long process, and need consent from congress as a new currency that is potentially subject to manipulation, would undermine the U.S. dollar. Bitcoin is a treat to the greenback globally, which will make it difficult for the digital currency to gain widespread acceptance in the United States.

Swedish Officials Pay Debt in Bitcoin

Swedish regulators with the Swedish Enforcement Authority has paid a debt with bitcoin. This is the first time the enforcement agency in any country has accepted bitcoin as a currency that is paid directly to a government.

Swedish authorities see bitcoin as an asset that can be used to make payment and its increasing acceptance will provide an alternative method for payments of debt. While the Swedish authorities are used to handling these issues through the banking world, they also take payments which need to be converted into cash. By taking bitcoin, they greatly enhanced their ability to retrieve debts. In this regard, it seems the Swedish Enforcement Authority will likely continue accepting bitcoin for debts citizens wish to settle.

Bitcoin prices have broken out to fresh all-time highs pushing through the highs made in September, and poised to test higher levels. Support on Bitcoin is seen near the 10-day moving average at 4,576. Volume on the breakout is average, which does not add to the accelerating in prices. Bitcoin prices are experiencing accelerating positive momentum as reflected by the relative strength index (RSI). The index is a momentum oscillator that also measures overbought and oversold levels. The currency reading on the RSI is 75, which is above the overbought trigger level of 70, which could foreshadow a correction. Reading below 30 on the RSI are considered oversold.